Aston VIlla co-owner Nassef Sawiris believes the “sky’s the limit” for the club after their Europa League triumph.
Unai Emery guided Villa to their first trophy in 30 years with a commanding 3-0 win over Freiburg in Istanbul on Wednesday.
Wes Edens and Sawiris bought a controlling stake in Villa in 2018 when they were in the Championship and have now seen them rise back into the Premier League, play Champions League football and secure a European trophy.
“The sky’s the limit,” he said, after goals from Youri Tielemans, Emi Buendia and Morgan Rogers took side to victory.
“Amazing. It means a lot. I can’t express myself with words. Very special. An eight year ride and we saw today what hard work can do with Unai’s effort and the whole team. An amazing win.”
Sawiris and Edens brought Emery to the club in 2022, replacing Steven Gerrard when the team was three points above the relegation zone.
Emery has delivered European football every season but it is his first trophy with Villa – and his fifth Europa League title.
Defender Matty Cash believes it will be a watershed moment for the club.
“Yeah, for sure, I think so. I think when you experience these moments together as a team, it makes you stronger, definitely,” he said. “Last year we got beat in the quarter-finals [of the Champions League], the season before that we got beaten in the semis [of the Conference League].
“It’s a big moment for the club, we’ve made history. It’s been such a long time [without a trophy].
“Obviously the last few years we’ve nearly got there. We executed the game plan well, we looked like an experienced team, we looked like we’d played these games before.
“But I think we gained experience from it as a team. It is pretty much a similar team, a few additions. To get to this moment, it is obvious that we have learnt from the past.”
